Ellen Snaathorst

Leaving Fossil Fuels Underground: The Social Justice Implications Related to the Distribution of Fossil Fuels.

With the collective aim of limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the pressure to diminish carbon emissions increases. Leaving Fossil Fuels Underground (LFFU) seems to be the most viable and equitable direction in this transition. LFFU means the elimination of the world’s dependency on fossil fuels and therefore enormous losses in infrastructure, investments, and untouched fossil fuel reserves which will lead to economic losses. Based on the Right to Development, global climate policy cannot justifiably ask countries in the Global South to forgo their ambitions regarding development and poverty reduction. Nevertheless, the world needs to take action to phase-out fossil fuels in an equitable and just way. The focus of this thesis is how the distribution of fossil fuels affects social justice in the context of the need to phase-out fossil fuels rapidly. Methods used were academic literature review, mapping, and semi-structured interviews. The research reveals that the majority of proved fossil fuel reserves are situated in the Global South. Extensive remaining fossil fuel reserves are located in nations that are dependent on fossil fuels for their export. Due to their undiversified economies based on fossil fuel export, phasing out fossil fuels will affect ordinary citizens. In the Global South, fossil fuels are owned and controlled by the sovereign state and are concentrated in regions where overwhelmingly National Oil Companies (NOCs) control the resources and industry. NOCs make large fiscal contributions to their governments which has caused governments with undiversified economies to become fiscally dependent on fossil fuel export. The presence of vast fossil fuel reserves and NOCs in undiversified economies exacerbates the social justice implications of phasing out fossil fuels. These nations are economically dependent on fossil fuel export and have large percentages of their populations employed in the industry. Phasing out fossil fuels without improving their comparative advantage will increase unemployment, (energy) poverty, and lead to political instability. This study recommends international assistance for nations economically dependent on fossil fuels as it is imperative to mitigate climate change justly. It may seem counterintuitive to assist wealthy fossil fuel-rich states that have contributed to climate change but phasing-out fossil fuels will affect citizens in these nations disproportionately. 

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